Something About You
by ReesesPieces2112
Summary: There's something about Hook that has Emma Swan drawn to him. Rating may change.
1. Fourteen!

"Hook, I'll kill you!" Emma roared through her grit teeth.

"Oh, come now, love." Hook laughed. "It was only a joke."

She picked up a rock and chucked it at the laughing pirate, barely missing his head. "You told Henry you've been looking for me! Then he told Snow, then Snow told David! I had to have a very uncomfortable talk with a guy that's my _father_!"

A devilish grin appeared on Hook's face. "Now, Swan, why would your parents assume…_that_?" He took two big steps towards her, capturing her by the waist. "If it weren't true?"

Emma scoffed, refusing to show any vulnerability; when it came to Killian Jones…she turned to mush. Even the mere thought of this man had her weak at the knees. "You're getting on my last nerve, you know that?"

"Perhaps." He whispered, brushing her hair out away from her shoulder and letting his lips roam the exposed skin.

"Killian!" She hissed, pushing at his chest. "People are watching!"

The two had been in front of Granny's diner after Emma had shown up looking for him. She knew he'd be there because that's where he always was since he showed up in Storybrooke, mainly because it was also her favorite place and she spent most of her time there as well.

Hook would leave a mark, she knew it; he was going to purposely mark her so she can see it later on and be reminded of the intimate moment they shared.

Emma's eyes scanned the people who tried to walk past them without staring. She was hoping she wouldn't see Snow or David catching her in her current position. She did, however, see Ruby in the window of the diner, holding a hand to her mouth to stop from giggling. She glared at the girl before feeling something cool touch her lower back, making her squeal in surprise and cling to Hook tighter.

He smiled against her neck, knowing she felt the metal from her car after he bunched up the bottom of her shirt with his good hand and pushed her against the VW Beetle. "Something the matter, love?"

"Yes." She gasped. "You being alive."

"Oh, ouch, lass." He feigned hurt. "Now is that any way to speak to someone who has a hook for a hand?"

"It is when all I need to do is lift my leg up and stop you from having kids." She retorted, slowly raising her knee to brush against his front as a reminder that she technically had all the power.

Now, it wasn't the fact that they were in public and she had the chance of being caught by her parents that frightened her, it was the fact that even after being warned, Killian smirked.

"If you really wanted me to stop." He whispered against her lips. "You would have done it long ago."

"Mom?" They heard, making them snap their heads to see Henry standing a few feet away.

"Henry!" Emma shoved Hook away. "Are you out of school already, kid?"

"Uh, yeah. Grandma said to meet her and grandpa here."

Emma still couldn't get used to the fact that Henry called Snow and David grandma and grandpa. Hell, she still needed to get used to him calling her mom.

Wait…

"Grandma and grandpa?" She repeated with horror. "Here? Now?"

"Sorry." The voice made her flinch. "We didn't want to…interrupt."

She whirled around to find herself face to face with Snow and David. "Um…this isn't what it looks like."

"I'm sure it's not." David replied in a sarcastic tone as he crossed his arms and glared at Hook.

"Henry, why don't we go get some hot cocoa?" Snow offered, taking Henry by the hand and leading him inside.

"I'll be right there!" Emma shouted after them, sighing as she realized things were about to become even more uncomfortable with David than they already were. "David-."

"Emma, go inside with your mother." He warned.

"What am I, fourteen?" She groaned. "And I was dealing with it, I can handle this."

"Can you?" Hook flashed her a smile.

"You're not helping yourself!" She snapped at him. "Listen, David, I promise-."

Emma couldn't finish her sentence before she saw David's arm wind back and fly forward, punching the pirate across the face.

* * *

**Short, but just a start. I'm on Christmas break now, so I should be posting pretty often (:**

**Let me know what you think (:  
**


	2. Alone

"Emma, was this really necessary?" David asked from behind the bars.

"You punched someone in front an entire crowd of people." Emma said from her desk. "I _had_ to arrest you."

"David?!" Snow shrieked, running in. "Emma?!"

"I had to!" Emma defended herself. "Hook didn't technically do anything wrong, David just punched him!"

"Harassing you is doing nothing wrong?!" David asked.

"I told you I could handle it." She mumbled.

"Oh." Snow sighed, walking over to her daughter and resting a hand on her shoulder. "What's done is done. And besides, it _is _her duty to uphold the law, David, if you hadn't gone and punched him, you wouldn't be sitting in a jail cell right now."

"Oh what a crock." David grumbled, stomping over to the cot and throwing himself on it.

Snow shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Forgive your father, Emma, he can be…childish sometimes."

Emma stifled a laugh so David wouldn't become even more upset by his wife and daughter making fun of his immaturity.

"So, about Hook." Snow began, taking a seat next to Emma. "What exactly…started it?"

Emma shifted uncomfortably; it wasn't really something you talk about with your mom, but since David had already asked, she decided to answer. "Well-."

"No!" The Prince groaned from his cell. "I don't want to hear about my daughter and some stupid pirate being…_together_."

Emma felt the blood rush to her cheeks. "We were not together!"

"David, hush!" Snow White scolded him. "This is a talk between Emma and I that does not include you."

"Uh, Snow?" Emma got her mother's attention. "Do we really have to talk about this?"

"Yes!" Snow urged her to continue.

"Okay, okay! It started back in the Enchanted Forest when we took the compass back from him and Cora. He found another way here and brought Cora with him, who I have not seen at all by the way. Anyways, I didn't even know he was here until the night you and David decided to have… 'the talk' with me, even though I had Henry. So, I went to find him today and confront him, ask him why he decided to go to Henry first. Now that I think about it, it may have been just to get under my skin."

"I see." Her mother nodded. "Did you ever get the chance to ask him why he was trying to find you?"

"No." Emma snorted. "He's more than likely doing it just so he can annoy me."

"Well, honey, love-."

"Love?!" Emma let out a loud laugh. "You think I love Killian?! Oh, Snow, that's a riot."

"I didn't say you loved him. I said, he may care for you in ways you're not willing to let him."

"Snow…he's a pirate who tried to kill me so he could come back here and kill Gold. He doesn't care for anyone."

"I don't know, dear…" Snow smiled slightly. "The world works in mysterious ways."

"I know!" Charming grunted from his cell. "There's no way she'd end up with that cocky, self absorbed, thief!"

"Charming!" Snow snapped at him. "No one thought you and I would end up together, but we did!"

"And now I'm sitting in a jail cell, listening to my daughter be stalked by some pirate!"

"Well then!" His wife huffed as she stood up from her chair.

"Uh, Snow?" Emma tried.

"If that's how you feel about it…"

"Snow…" Emma tried again, fearing she's about to say something she will later regret.

"Then when you come home, you can sleep on the couch…_alone_!" Snow White stormed out of her daughter's office.

Emma nearly gagged at her mother's emphasis on the word 'alone', knowing she meant they wouldn't exactly be showing just how much they love each other for quite some time.

"Snow White!" David called after her.

"You know, dad, I'll let you out if you promise not to assault Killian without probable cause…and you apologize to mom." Emma stood from her seat and grabbed her keys, making her way to the cell.

David smiled softly at her, getting a warm, fuzzy feeling from her calling him dad. "Thank you, Emma."

"Yeah, yeah." She unlocked the door and slid it open, waving goodbye as he bolted out of his cell and out the door.

Emma shook her head and laughed; her parents were weird, but entertaining.

* * *

Emma had gotten up early the next day; she didn't really have a choice. Henry had coaxed her into promising to spend an entire day with him.

"Henry." She groaned as her son jumped on her bed. "Why so early?"

"It wasn't me, mom." Henry laughed. "It was him." He pointed to door, causing Emma to snap her head up after grabbing for her gun.

"Calm down, love." Hook smiled as he leaned against the doorframe. "It's only me."

Emma cocked her gun and aimed it at him. "I'm still going to shoot."

"Mom!" Henry scolded. "Don't be so mean! Captain Hook said he'd take us out for breakfast!" The little boy jumped out of bed and raced into the bathroom after grabbing a change of clothes.

"Come now, Swan." Hook made his way over to her bed and stood over it. "Out of bed. You saw how excited the boy was."

"The boy's name is Henry." She huffed. "Now get out so I can change."

"Nothing I haven't seen before." He flashed her a smile.

She glared at him. "I'm sure you've seen plenty of women's bodies, but I'm rather shy about mine." She lied. "So get out."

"There's no need to be shy." He crawled on top of her, restraining her to the bed. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Emma. You're beautiful." He whispered.

Emma was about to say something sarcastic, until she looked into his piercing eyes, only to be greeted with a soft look unlike his usual menacing one. "Thank you, Killian."

He nearly lost control at his own name; he hadn't heard it much since Milah. But even then, he didn't feel what he felt when Emma said it. He leaned down and brushed his lips across her cheek.

"I suppose you want a different sort of 'thank you' other than simply saying it?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

"It would be nice."

"Fine." She rolled her eyes. "Only because you've earned it."

Normally she'd be fighting this pirate, but he had offered Henry kindness, and she would return the favor.

Emma leaned up and pressed her lips lightly to his, to which he responded quickly.

This was something he'd been waiting for ever since they climbed up the beanstalk together. He wanted to know what it'd be like to kiss this determined, blonde haired woman.

Sometime during this small kiss, Emma had found herself tangling her fingers in his messy hair and rolling around on her bed, each fighting for control over the other.

"Moooom!" Henry called from the living room. "Are we going now?"

She pulled away from Hook and scrambled out of bed. "Crap!" She hissed, grabbing clothes and rushing to the bathroom.

Hook sighed heavily, having been satisfied by what just happened, even if it wasn't much.

"Is my mom ready?" Henry stood at the door.

Hook opened his mouth to respond, but Emma had opened the door to the bathroom and smiled at her son.

"Let's go." She led him out of the room, calling back over her shoulder. "Coming, Killian?"

The pirate jumped out of the bed and ran to catch up with them, feeling as though this day would hold many more surprises that will work in his favor.


	3. Badgering

"Thanks, Ruby!" Henry exclaimed, watching his plate of food being set in front of him.

"No problem, kiddo." She smiled at him. "Oh, and Emma, some of the folks were asking if David's been released yet."

"Last night." She responded, taking a sip of her coffee.

Ruby eyed the pirate sitting across from Emma and Henry, smirking at the bruise on his cheek. "I see he left you with a nice little present."

"Oh, I've had much worse, believe me." He winked at her.

Ruby scoffed and walked away from their table to get Henry's hot cocoa.

"Don't flirt with the waitress." Emma said.

"No need to be jealous, love." He reached over and took her hand.

"I am _not _jealous." She glared at him, withdrawing her hand from his grip. "I'm warning you. Ruby will kick your ass so fast, you won't even know what happened."

"I'm sure I could hold my own."

"Ha!" Emma snorted. "I bested you…twice."

"Flukes." He cleared his throat. "Both times I had been focused on keeping you alive, Emma, you bested me when I was at my worst."

Emma had gone silent; she hadn't expected him to say something like that, making her feel even guiltier for leaving him on the beanstalk with a giant, even if he did make it out alive.

Henry was oblivious to the tension as he stuffed pancakes into his mouth and swung his legs back and forth. In fact, he didn't really notice that his mom and the pirate were staring each other down.

"I have to go to the bathroom." He announced, getting out of the booth and leaving them alone.

"Hook…" Emma began.

"No." He stopped her. "Don't apologize for following your gut, Swan. I'm a pirate, I know what it's like. I've left people for dead in much worse situations."

"I still-."

"You wanted to get back to your son."

Emma clenched her fists, not only was he not allowing her to finish her sentence, but she wasn't quite sure what it was she was trying to say anyways.

"Hey, mom." Henry tugged on her jacket sleeve. "Can we go to grandma and grandpa's?"

"Uh, I don't know, kid. They weren't really…happy with each other yesterday."

"Is it because grandpa punched Captain Hook?"

"Uh…"

"Please?" Henry pleaded. "Please? Please? Please?"

"Okay!" Emma sighed in defeat. "Go get in the car."

"Yes!" Henry ran out of the dinner, waving to Ruby as he left.

"Thank you, Killian, for breakfast." Emma stood from her seat.

Hook stood up with her, reaching out and brushing the hair from her face. "You're welcome."

Emma couldn't help it, whether or not he was acting as part of Cora's plan, he did it well. She stepped forward and kissed him softly.

He was so caught off guard that he hadn't gotten the chance to kiss her back before she pulled away and walked out of the diner.

* * *

"Snow, how long are you going to ignore me?" David asked his wife, who was sitting across from him with their grandson.

"So, Henry how was your morning with Emma?" Snow asked without even so much as glancing at David.

"It was fun." Henry grinned. "Captain Hook took us out for breakfast and-."

"What?!" David shouted. "After what happened yesterday, you let that _thing _take you out for breakfast?!"

Emma winced; she didn't intend on telling Snow or David that she spent the morning with Hook because she knew her father react that way. "He just showed up."

"Oh, so he's stalking you now?"

"No!"

"David!" Snow snapped. "Quit badgering our daughter. She's a grown woman, she can do as she pleases."

"But he-."

"No." She insisted.

Emma sat back with a smile on her face, glad her mom was on her side. Unless… "Wait, why are you so calm about this?"

"Oh, Emma, believe me." Snow stated, grabbing the cup full of tea off the table and taking a sip. "I want to kill him too, but that's not my call to make."

Emma groaned loudly to show her parents that she wasn't a teenager anymore, she could handle someone like Killian Jones.

There was only one man who had her figured out, only one man she trusted enough that she'd give her life for, and he turned her in…

"Mom?" Henry asked.

Emma looked over at him; she hadn't noticed that he moved over to the window. "What's up?"

"Does Captain Hook always follow us?"

"What?" Emma jumped up from her seat and ran over to the windowsill. "What the hell is he doing?"

"Waiting for another punch." David headed for the door.

"Grandpa!"

"Dad!" Emma ran after him. "I already told you that if you assault him, I'll have to arrest you…_again_."

"Fine with me." David met Hook in the hallway.

"Emma, love, I was just looking for you." Hook walked past David and straight to Emma.

"Uh, what is it?" She asked nervously, concentrating more on her father than what Hook was saying to her.

"I thought I'd steal you away for a while." He smiled down at her.

"Because…?"

"Because he wants me to kill him." David growled.

"David, get in here!" Snow called from the door.

"But-."

"Get in here, now!"

"Come on." Emma sighed, grabbing Hook by the arm, signaling Henry to go with them.

* * *

**Merry Christmas, guys and girls! (: **


	4. Dinner

"Remind me again why we're here?" Emma asked, watching Henry play on a swing set.

"Because I wanted to talk to you alone." Hook answered.

"About what? Henry, be careful!" She warned as he lost his balance and almost fell.

He smiled at her from afar and shouted, "Okay!"

"Having dinner with me."

She snorted. "I had breakfast with you, that's enough."

Hook rolled his eyes; this woman was incredibly stubborn, but that's what he liked about her. "I'm serious."

"I know." She nodded. "But in case you haven't noticed, Cora and her daughter are both here to wreak havoc on my town and I'm not going to let that happen."

"I'm well aware of that fact, Swan, bu-."

"Then you also know that I'd rather die than let Regina and Cora get their hands on my son."

Hook opened his mouth to protest, but closed it once he took a look at her expression; she was serious. She observed Henry with sad eyes, but she was determined to keep him away from Regina and Cora…even if it meant losing her life.

"I'd never let that happen." He blurted out, surprising both of them.

Emma found herself actually blushing a little bit, something she hadn't really done since she'd been with Neal. "Is the great Captain Hook becoming a softy?"

"No!" He hissed as he started making excuses. "I'm saying for the sake of my own life, I wouldn't let Regina or Cora kill you. The last thing I need is the prince coming after me along with Snow White and a very angry little boy."

She rolled her eyes and held back a laugh, looking in Henry's direction and waving him to her.

"Let's get dinner, kiddo." She patted his shoulder.

"Okay!" Henry exclaimed, feeling the hunger wash over him as he raced to the car.

"Thank you for today, Hook." She said. "Spending a day with you was never something I thought I'd do…but I'm glad I did." She gave him a small smile and walked over to her car.

"Emma!" He called after her, smirking as she faced him. "I still plan on taking you to dinner, remember that."

She rolled her eyes and got into the driver's seat, turning on the car and leaving to Granny's diner.

* * *

"Emma, I don't understand why you're actually spending time with Hook." Ruby stated, pouring Henry some soda.

"It was nothing." Emma shrugged, dipping her fry in ketchup and eating it.

"Oh, yeah right." Ruby laughed. "What about you, Henry? Did you like that Hook wormed his way into your mom's plans when she was supposed to spend the day with just you?"

"He was fun." Henry grinned. "He was really cool too. When mom wasn't paying attention, he told me all about his adventures as a pirate."

"He did, did he?" Emma questioned.

Henry just smiled at her, not meaning to tell her that Hook told him about the most dangerous, but exciting sea adventures.

"Careful, Henry." Ruby giggled. "Looks like you might have just gotten yourself and the Captain into a little bit of trouble."

"Looks like." Emma joked with the waitress.

"But, mom!" Henry whined. "It was so cool! And he told me all about how Gold took his hand and-."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back it up." Emma interrupted him. "Gold took his hand?"

"Yeah." Henry nodded eagerly. "He ran off with Gold's wife, making him think she was dead, but when Gold found them, he killed her and took Captain Hook's hand."

"Wow." Ruby said. "Well…that's Gold for you. Enjoy, guys." She smiled warmly before walking away from their booth.

"Why do I have a feeling this isn't the last time you want to see Hook?" Emma asked her son.

"Because it's not." Henry grinned. "I think he's a good guy, mom. Deep down, everyone has some good in them. Just like…Regina. She can be a good person…she just has to want to."

Emma felt sympathy as she watched Henry play with his food after mentioning his stepmother; she knew he wanted Regina to change for the better, but Henry knew that she wouldn't want to unless she got him back.

He didn't want that; Emma was his mom, he searched for her, he found her, and he wasn't going to let her go. He loved Regina, he really did and he hoped he could find a way to make her realize all the pain she caused. Henry was aware that Regina would only change for a price, one he wasn't willing to pay.

"Emma!" Snow exclaimed, rushing over and sitting next to her daughter.

"Snow?" Emma questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Em." David greeted, sliding in next to Henry.

"Your father and I were taking a walk and we saw you. Where's Hook?" Snow asked as she glanced around the diner.

"I don't know." Emma answered.

"Oh, I just…thought he'd be with you since…"

"Nope." Emma answered quickly, sticking a french fry in her mouth.

"Well, I for one, am glad he's not around." David ruffled Henry's hair and laughed as the little boy grumbled and tried to fix himself.

"You're being unfair, David." Snow snapped at him. "I don't like him much either, but if our daughter has feelings for him, then I'm not going to discourage her!"

"Snow, David, please?!" Emma pleaded. "I'm not a kid anymore, I can deal with this."

"Emma, as your father, I'm allowed to disapprove of your…_thing _with Hook." David said.

"Yeah, but-."

"And as her mother, I'm allowed to get after you for being so unreasonable." Snow interrupted.

David opened his mouth to throw out another insult about Hook when Belle had run into the diner.

"Emma!" She shouted frantically.

"Belle?" Emma questioned. "What's going on?"

"He's got him!" Belle wheezed, out of breath from running.

"Who's got who?!" Emma stood from the booth after Snow had gotten up. "Belle, calm down and tell me what happened!"

"Hook!" Belle gasped. "Hook, he-he has Rumple! He came in and just stormed the place, Rumple barely had enough time to make an escape for me."

Emma took a step back in shock; after what had just happened today, Hook still went after Gold? Then again, it's not like he ever said he _wouldn't _go after the man that took his hand, she didn't think it would happen so soon.

"Come on." Emma grabbed her jacket, following Belle out the door with David, Snow, and Henry following.

* * *

**I'm really just pulling stuff out of my ass, okay, guys?**

**I haven't been writing this story much and I'm sorry about that. I have serious writer's block right now. I know, it sounds like an excuse but I can assure you, it's not. =/ **

**Oh, and I'm a big review whore xD So, review, review, review please?! Also, can you guys kind of elaborate on your review? Tell me what you'd like to read, tell me if you have ideas, anything really. If you want to talk about the latest Once Upon A Time episode, do it, I'll answer back (:  
**


	5. Hook

"Hook!" Emma yelled; her, Belle, David, Henry, and Snow had just gotten to Gold's shop. The door was locked, so she hit the glass with her elbow, breaking it and flinging it wide open.

"Shh!" Bell hissed. "He charged in here, very angry, we don't know what he'll do."

"Please." Emma mumbled, pulling out her gun. "Damn it, Hook."

David followed close behind his daughter for fear of her getting hurt. Not to mention, if he didn't do it, then Snow would, and he couldn't risk both of them being injured.

Emma scanned the room carefully, if Hook had Gold then there's no telling what he would have already done.

"Mom, something doesn't seem right." Henry whispered from beside Snow White. "Captain Hook was really nice to us earlier, why would he go after Gold?"

"Because, kid, you said it yourself, Gold killed someone Hook loved. He was nice to us earlier so he could gain our trust." Emma sighed quietly. "He didn't want to tip us off about his plan. I'm sorry, Henry."

Henry looked at the floor in disappointment; he had hoped he would be wrong about the pirate. Hook seemed to really care for Emma, and all Henry wanted was for them to be together, but he was wrong.

Emma suddenly stood straight as she slowly turned in the direction of Bell, who was unusually calm and quiet, despite being a screaming lunatic earlier. "What's going on, Bell?"

"What?" Bell asked, confused. "What do you mean? I told you Hook has Gold."

"And yet, we haven't heard anything, not a scream, not a squeak, not a muffle. Absolutely nothing."

"Well, that's because you busted the door open, causing all kinds of commotion."

"Even then, Hook would have ran out to stop us from stopping him." Emma narrowed her eyes at the girl before her. "Something's definitely not right here."

"Emma…" Snow said carefully. "I wouldn't say so just yet." She gestured behind her daughter.

Emma turned her head, catching Hook just a few feet away from her. "You."

"Hello, love." He smiled wickedly. "Miss me already?"

"Not even a little bit. Where's Gold?"

"Oh, that old crone?" Hook laughed. "I took care of him."

"What did you do?!" Bell screamed, trying to charge after him, only to be held back by David.

"Well, you're welcome to have a look." He pointed to the back, where he had emerged from. "But I must warn you, it isn't too pretty."

"Rumple!" Bell broke away from David and raced to the back with everyone but Emma and Hook following.

Once they were out of sight, Emma raised her gun and aimed at his chest. "I'm supposed to arrest you, but why do that when I could just kill you and be rid of the damn problem?"

She was furious; he spent the entire day putting on an act, and she knew it, but some part of her started to believe it was real. This wasn't the first time she'd been duped by a guy, she sure as hell was going to let it be her last.

"Come on, Emma." Hook didn't seem phased by the gun. After all, he was a pirate. "I just rid the town of its biggest nuisance."

"No, the town's biggest nuisance is you, Cora, and Regina." Emma's gun was loaded and ready to fire. "I'll be rid of all of you, even it means I have to be un-sheriff like."

Hook raised an eyebrow, clearly amused by her words. "Well, well, well. Nothing more fearful than a woman scorned, I see."

"Screw it." She dropped her gun and charged him, pushing him against the glass counter and breaking it.

Her strength definitely startled him, but the glass wedged in his hand surprised him even more. He hissed and pushed her back, tripping and falling to the ground with her.

Emma landed on the floor with a loud grunt. She swung her arm, barely missing his jaw with her fist, so she settled for punching his shoulder.

Surprisingly enough, he stumbled off of her, giving her the opportunity to stand up and kick at him.

Hook's hand shot out and caught her leg before it made any contact with is body, and pulled, making her fall.

She kicked at his feet as she scrambled to get up once again. She reached for her gun, but when she swung around, he knocked it out of her hand.

"Damn it!" Emma hollered, sprinting for it, only to be yanked back. She rolled onto the hardwood floor.

"_I have to stay off the ground_." She mentally scolded herself for falling so many times it was becoming irritating.

Suddenly Hook stopped, leaving a confused and heaving Emma on the ground. She stood and looked him over; he was standing tall, as if he were soldier at attention. He looked dazed and his eyes were glossed over.

"How interesting."

Emma jumped and spun around to find herself face to face with none other than Cora.

* * *

Emma nearly face palmed; of course it was Cora. She should have known better. Henry was always right about this sort of stuff.

"What did you do to Hook?" Emma panted, still worn out from the somewhat fight.

Cora laughed. "I gave him…a little push. It seemed as though he was becoming distracted from what he came here to do."

"I'll kill you."

Cora's smile chilled Emma to the very core; she had seen Regina's power, she couldn't imagine what her mother could do.

"So, you have feelings for this pirate." Cora sighed. "You disappoint me, Ms. Swan. I thought you of all people would understand that love is weakness. I simply thought your little, 'love is a strength' statement back in the forest was a mistake, but I can see now that you actually meant it."

"I don't have feelings for the pirate!" Emma screamed.

"Emma!" David appeared after hearing all the crashing and fumbling about, he quickly helped Snow and Bell get Rumple out of the building. "Cora."

"Hello, Charming." Cora greeted. "I see you as well have let yourself succumb to the foolishness of love. How is Snow White? I hear my daughter has big plans for her."

"Touch her and I'll kill you!" He threatened, grabbing Emma's arm and moving her behind him. "One day, Cora, you'll have your fight with me. But today won't be it."

"Fine." She stated simply, turning from them.

"Wait!" Emma stopped her. "Whatever you did to Hook…undo it."

"Emma!" David whined.

"Hook will never be free from what he truly wants, Emma." Cora said. "And what he wants is revenge. How he gets it, does not matter. Who he has to betray, will not matter. I can undo the spell, but there will always be a part of him that hates so much…he won't be able to let go. Which, in the end, will get him killed. Now, do you understand why I say love is weakness?" And with that, she vanished.

Hook gasped as he felt himself regaining control of his own body. He searched his surroundings to find Emma's eyes. He nearly smiled, only the pain from their fight and the attack from Cora had caught up to him. He collapsed to the ground, groaning.

Emma had a reluctant David help her hold him up and get him to her car.

* * *

**I know it's late, but I couldn't resist updating this story (x**

**I kind of have an idea of where to go from here, so I'm excited :D**


	6. Infected

As awkward as it was, Emma had stripped off Hook's boots and shirt after she had gotten him to her apartment; she didn't want Henry seeing him like that, so she had Snow take him for the night.

She didn't know how she hadn't noticed the bloodstains on his shirt from the fight he must have had with Cora before she put a spell on him.

The sight of the cuts on his body from being pushed into glass made her wince; she had done that without even fully thinking it through.

She fished the first aid kit from her bathroom along with cotton balls and saline solution. She wasn't a certified nurse or anything, but Snow had taught her some things a mother should know.

Emma put a cotton ball to the opening of the bottle and tipped it, making sure she got the saline solution on the piece of cotton. She carefully reached down and dabbed the cotton ball along his chest. She jumped a little when his hand caught hers.

"That hurts." He mumbled.

"I know, but I have to clean your wounds or they'll get infected."

He tried to laugh, but it came out raspier than he had expected. "Emma, I'm a pirate, I'll be fine."

She wiggled her hand free and continued wiping the dried blood from his skin. "Yeah, well, around here, I happen to like when cuts don't get infected."

He smiled softly and let his eyes flutter close; it had been so long since someone had actually taken care of him, he wasn't about to argue against it.

"I owe you an apology." Emma mumbled. "For pushing you into glass."

"It's fine." He whispered, felling his throat go dry. "It's my fault for letting Cora fool me so easily."

"Well, you weren't exactly all there and Henry tried-."

"I knew what I was doing, Emma." He confessed. "I just didn't have control of my body, so I couldn't stop."

"…And Gold?" She finally asked.

"That…" He tried clearing his throat. "That was partially me. I wanted him dead, Emma, I did. I found myself enjoying the torment I put him through."

Emma did her best to hide the sadness in her eyes; Cora's words replayed themselves in her head. Hook really would never be free from wanting Rumple dead. He'd never be free from Milah. Not that she could blame him, she still wasn't free from Neal, but they had a child together, that's the only reason she still hangs on. For hope that, one day he'd show his face and would want to meet their son.

"Emma." Hook whispered, reaching up and gently placing his hand on her cheek. "Will you lie with me?"

She nearly laughed at his question; not because it was funny, but because he had actually asked her to instead of just pulling her down. She got up from her spot and walked around the bed, kicking off her boots and settling underneath the warmth of her blankets.

Hook wasn't so weak that he couldn't turn to his side and wrap an arm around her waist, which he did. He pulled her close and drifted to sleep, feeling oh so comfortable having her next to him.

Emma studied his features and took into appreciation how peaceful he looked when he was sleeping. Her hand reached up and she gently traced the outline of his jaw with her fingertips, letting her hand rest on his cheek and noticing that he leaned in to her touch subconsciously.

She smiled softly to herself and turned to look at the clock on her bedside table; 2 in the morning. She faced the sleeping pirate and nuzzled herself underneath his chin, letting her eyes grow heavy and falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

The light shining through the window is what woke Emma up. That, and the soft snoring coming from the man beside her.

Last night had taken a huge chunk out of her; Cora finally showing herself and making it very clear how powerful she was.

"_No wonder Regina_'_s so screwed up_." Emma thought to herself. "_Then again_, _she_'_s almost nothing like her mother_. _Regina wouldn_'_t love Henry as much as she does if she were like Cora_."

Her eyes drifted to Hook's chest, running her hand along the cuts and bruises that she had cleaned last night. She felt her stomach churn; he looked like he went through hell and he'd been so weak after getting him home.

His hand coming up and wrapping his fingers around her wrist startled her.

"Hi." He whispered with a soft smile, bringing her arm up and kissing the pulse on her wrist.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, ignoring the butterflies she felt; she was a mom, not a teenager, she didn't get butterflies…sure as hell not for some annoying, pushy…handsome, funny…

"_No_!" Emma stopped herself from thinking what she was. "_I told Cora I didn_'_t have any feelings for Hook and I mean it_…_don_'_t I_?"

"Better." Hook's voice snapped her out of her trance.

"Good." Emma wiggled her body away from his and getting out of bed. "I'm going to get Henry at Snow and David's. Believe it or not, he's worried about you."

Hook almost frowned; he really didn't want her to leave, but she was being nice enough to take care of him, so he didn't argue. "Emma?"

She hoisted her leather jacket over her shoulders and looked back at him. "What?"

He raised his hand gestured her forward, as if his voice was going hoarse and he could only whisper.

She sighed and walked over to her bed, leaning over him. "Do you need water or anything before I go? I won't be gone long, so-."

Hook had tangled his fingers in her hair and pulled her down, kissing her deeply.

Emma's hands flew out on either side of his head, afraid that her weight would only hurt him since he was still sore.

He kissed her feverishly like it would be their last, which he hoped it wouldn't be. He was actually pretty surprised she hadn't pulled away yet, deciding to push the boundaries a little and poking his tongue against her lips.

Emma was enjoying this a little too much; bringing him home wasn't so she could make out with him like she was still seventeen. Her intention was to make sure he was safe from Cora, and getting as much information as possible about her.

"I have to go." She pulled away from him. "I'll be right back." She walked out of the bedroom before he could say anything.

"Emma!" Hook whined, hearing her laugh before the door closed and there was nothing left but the sound of his own breathing. He sighed with content and closed his eyes, wanting to get some more sleep before the kid bombarded him with questions, and he knew Henry would.


	7. Does it hurt?

"So, does it hurt?" Henry asked, sitting next to the now awake pirate.

"Sort of." Hook chuckled.

"Henry." Emma said from the doorway. "Let Captain Hook sleep, he looks tired."

"It's okay, love." Hook flashed her an arrogant smile, knowing the only reason she didn't want to look at him was because of what happened that morning.

"You know." She glared at him. "If I didn't have to get to the hospital to check on Gold, I would-."

"Gold's awake?" Henry asked. "Did he say anything?"

"Not yet. But I'm sure he'll be less pissed when he finds out it was Cora."

Hook snorted. "It doesn't really matter. He can say anything he wants, I'm not scared of him."

"No, but you should be scared of my mom." Henry whispered to him.

Hook looked from Henry to Emma, who had a scowl on her face. "I guess so."

"Henry, did you have breakfast?" Emma directed her attention to Henry.

"No, not yet."

"Come on, I'm sure Snow and David will take you to Granny's."

"But, mom-."

"Now, Henry."

Henry huffed as he got out of bed and made his way to the door.

Emma turned as her son walked past her. She looked at Hook and narrowed her eyes.

Hook laughed. "Emma, love, if you keep making that face, it'll stay that way."

She ran and jumped on the bed, making it bounce and Hook groan seeing as he was still sore.

She laughed and got off the bed, straightening her jacket and smiling at him. "Serves you right, doesn't it?"

"Cute." He said with sarcasm.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Are you or are you not the one who started it?"

"Emma, you keep saying _I_'_m _the immature and yet you're telling me things like I started it."

"I have to go talk to Gold." She turned away from him.

"Henry doesn't want to go to breakfast with your parents, love, just let him stay here. I won't do any harm."

"Goodbye, Hook." She started walking out of her room, ignoring him.

* * *

When Emma looked at Gold, she didn't feel nearly as much sympathy as she did when she looked at Hook. She didn't know why, maybe it was just that she'd witnessed Gold do more damage than Hook.

"So, where's Hook now?" Belle asked Emma.

"He's um…" Emma swallowed hard; Snow and David were in the room and Snow would definitely not be happy to find out Hook was staying in her apartment. They had taken Henry to breakfast and he almost told them until Emma interrupted him. "He's being taken care of."

"How?"

"I can't tell you. There's still some unresolved issues between him and Gold and I can't relay any information about his whereabouts." She lied, basically just pulling things out of her ass; anything to keep from having to tell them the truth.

"Is he at least under arrest?" Gold's hoarse voice asked.

"Yes." She answered quickly. "I just um, came to get your statement, but I should just come back when you're feeling better."

"Wait." He stopped her. "I know it was Cora that was controlling him."

"Then why do you want him arrested so badly?"

"Because in a way, I know it was him also." Gold coughed.

"How?" Emma grew curious. Hook told her that he somewhat enjoyed the beat down he put on Gold.

"He said something to me. Something Cora wouldn't have conjured up, even her power has limits."

"What did he say?" She urged.

"I killed Milah. I took something he cared for dearly, and I was going to pay for it."

Emma inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. "I promise, I'll have Hook arrested by the end of today."

"Thank you." Belle said as she turned to Gold and kissed his forehead.

"Emma." David caught her attention. "Let me take of arresting him and you go spend some time with Henry."

"Uh, yeah, okay." She agreed without thinking. "Um, actually I'll just take Henry with me to get Hook and we'll spend the rest of the day together."

"Emma…" David warned.

"Dear, she can handle it." Snow stepped in, putting a hand on his shoulder and smiling up at him.

"Thanks." Emma sighed, turning and walking out of the room; this wasn't going to go well. Henry adored Hook and he'd be disappointed in her if she arrested him.

The vibrating in her pocket made her jump and fumble the phone in her hands after she pulled it out.

"Hello?"

"Hey, mom!" Henry greeted cheerfully. "Do we have any soup?"

"Uh, what do you need it for?"

"Captain Hook. It's still hard for him to move around and he says he's hungry, so I called you."

"I'll be home in 10, just hang tight."

"Kay."

Emma hung up the phone and headed to Granny's diner to pick up lunch for her, Henry, and Hook.

* * *

**Did you guys see tonight's episode? o: and the promo for next week? **

**What do you think? You guys excited? I am (x**


	8. Fathers

"Mom, what did Gold say?" Henry asked Emma, biting into his hamburger.

"He said, um, he…was undecided." She lied; telling Henry that she meant to arrest Hook would just start this whole debacle that she really didn't want.

"Really?!" He asked, excited. "That's great! That means Hook might not go to jail or anything, right?"

"Sure, kiddo." She ruffled his hair.

"I can hear you." Hook said from his spot on the couch.

They were all in the living room; Emma thought Hook needed to get out of bed before his body went stiff and it would be harder to move him.

"I know, but I choose to ignore that you're there." Emma said without looking at him.

"You guys argue like an old married couple." Henry stated, rolling his eyes and getting up to throw his trash away.

"What? I—we—that-." She tried to form a sentence, but couldn't figure out just what she wanted to say.

"I'm going to the room." He walked away from them and into Emma's room, closing the door behind him.

Emma sighed and made her way to the couch, throwing herself on it and groaning.

Hook laughed; seeing her so exasperated was…interesting.

"You know I have to arrest you, right?" She asked him.

"Of course I know." He scoffed. "However, I also know that you only let Henry stay so you could hold off on it."

"Shut it." She grit her teeth, hating that he was right.

"Emma, love." He reached over and used what was left of his strength to pull her body over his.

"What are you doing?"

He lifted his hand moved a strand of hair from her face. "Arrest me, I don't care. But you know that without me, you stand no chance against Cora."

"I'm aware of that. But I do know that she's working with Regina. I find Regina, I find Cora. So I don't completely need you."

"Deny it all you like." He sighed. "But you and I both know that you're madly in love with me."

"You wish." She snapped.

"Mom!" Henry called, coming out of the room. "Grandpa's on the phone."

Emma quickly got off the couch and rushed towards Henry, taking the phone from him. "Hello?"

Henry hopped onto the couch next to Hook. "So, why did you become a pirate?"

"My father was." Hook answered. "As his father was."

"You didn't have a childhood, did you?"

"Not much of one, no. I spent my days fighting with swords, roaming the seas, and watching my father get piss drunk. Sometimes it was entertaining, other times…not so much."

"I don't know my dad." Henry looked down at his hands. "Mom says he died a long time ago."

"Well, Henry." Hook gave him a slight smile. "You seem to be doing just fine without one."

Henry beamed up at the pirate and nodded his head. "Yeah. But it wouldn't be so bad to have a dad…would it?"

"If they're willing to be one."

"Henry." Emma appeared in front of them; Hook took the time to notice that her face paled a little and she looked like she was going to be sick. "I have some business to take care of in town, are you okay to stay here with Hook?"

"Sure, mom."

She nodded and rushed into her room to grab her jacket and car keys, fumbling with them as she opened her apartment door and left.

Henry and Hook turned to each other and gave a weird look as if they were about to ask the other if they knew what that was about.

* * *

**Well...it's been forever. Ha. **

**I'm so sorry that I took so long and the chapter's so short. I had the biggest writer's block and I'm still a little unsure of where I want to take this so I'm thinking of putting it on hiatus for now.**

**Let me know. And if you have any ideas, please feel free to tell me. (:**


	9. Confrontation from the past

The door to Granny's diner rung as Emma stepped inside. She peered around the diner until she saw the familiar face of someone she thought was gone long ago.

"Neal." Emma whispered, walking to the booth and sitting across from him. "What are you doing here?"

"My uh, my old man found me and sent for me." Neal looked away from her, still feeling the guilt of leaving her.

"Your old man? Who?"

"Uh, Gold. Or should I say Rumpelstiltskin?"

"What?" Emma gaped. "That's-you're-Gold's your father?"

"Um, yeah." Neal nodded, clutching the luke warm cup of coffee in his hands; he had been sitting at the diner for almost an hour after getting into town. "How'd you know I was here, Em?"

"My…dad saw you." She looked at the table. "He recognized you by the similarities between you and-." She stopped herself; Neal didn't know anything about Henry. Henry didn't know anything about Neal. Telling them now would only jeopardize everything.

"Me and who?" He asked, grabbing her attention.

"Uh…never mind." Emma shook her head quickly. "Listen, I have to get back to my apartment, bu-."

"My dad told me about Hook." Neal looked her in the eye. "He thinks you're protecting him."

"Did your father also tell you that Hook had no control over what he was doing?" Emma tried to defend Killian, but had no idea why. "_Man_, _this pirate_'_s driving me crazy_."

"Yeah, and that's all well and good, but Emma, come on…he still tried to kill my father."

"And your father's tried to kill dozens of other people. Look, just forget it. Have your little father/son visit with Gold and get the hell out of my town." She stood up from the booth with an angry look on her face. "Before you go taking your father's side, remember…everything he's ever told you…has eventually turned out to be a lie."

"Emma, wait!" Neal tried stopping her from leaving, but failed as the door to the diner slammed closed.

* * *

Emma stormed into her apartment and threw her jacket on the coffee table in front of the couch. She put her hands on her hips and sighed heavily as she began to clean, hoping to take her mind off the town's new…visitor. As she turned to the couch, she was startled when she realized Hook and her son had fallen asleep with Henry's head resting against his shoulder.

Emma frowned; she couldn't arrest Killian. And she wouldn't. Gold would just have to deal with it. Besides, it's not like he was innocent in the whole thing. She looked back at the pirate and her son and smiled a little.

The moment was short lived when a loud knock on her door made her jump. "Geeze!"

Hook stirred awake and felt the heaviness on his shoulder. He looked down and saw Henry, deciding to leave him there and look up at the door.

Emma gasped and closed the door in order to hide Henry and Hook. "Neal? What the hell are you doing here? Did you follow me?"

"No." He shrugged. "Your parents let me know."

"Remind me to thank them." She mumbled sarcastically. "I'd love for you to come in, but I'm kind of busy."

"Please, it's only for a second, Em. I swear." He promised, pushing past her and through the door. He stopped mid-step and took in the sight of Captain Hook and a little boy on the couch. "Uh…"

"We can talk somewhere else." Emma tried to get his attention once again. "Neal."

"Good to see you again, Hook." Neal's jaw tightened; seeing the pirate on his ex-girlfriend's couch made him uneasy.

"Hello, Bea." Hook yawned, stretching out his free arm and gesturing Emma closer.

Emma sighed and took a step near the couch; she knew Neal had seen Henry and would ask questions, but she had hope that Henry stayed asleep while Neal was there.

Hook wrapped his arm around Emma's waist and held her close. "IS there a reason you're brothering me and my family on this fine day?" He asked Neal.

Both Emma and Neal were taken aback.

"Killian." Emma warned with a nervous laugh. "Gold is Neal's-."

"Father. I know, love." Hook nodded, eyeing Neal.

"I knew you were protecting him." Neal said to Emma. "Jesus, Emma, I didn't think you'd stoop so low as to protect a criminal."

"Isn't that you were?" She snapped at him. "Aren't _I _the one who went to jail for _your _crime?"

"I did that to protect you."

"I sat in a jail cell for years! That wasn't protecting me!"

"If I hadn't, you wouldn't be here right now with your mom and dad!"

"Mom?" Henry's groggy voice broke through their argument. HE had sat up and was now rubbing his tired eyes, still half asleep.

"Come now." Hook lifted Henry off the couch, ignoring the sharp pain he still felt and carried him to the room.

"How long have you been in town, Emma?" Neal asked.

"And that matters because…?"

"How long have you been in town?" He insisted.

"About a year, why?"

"How old is your son?"

"What's with this interrogation?" Emma hissed.

"How old is your son?!" Neal yelled.

"He's 11!"

Neal sucked in a breath and nodded. "And you've known Hook for how long?"

Emma shook her head. "This is ridiculous."

"That boy's my son, isn't he?"

"That boy's name is Henry!" Emma yelled. "And yes, he's your son! But you weren't in our lives, you were nowhere to be found!"

"My dad?" They heard.

Emma swiveled around and gasped lightly, finding Henry standing by the door. "Henry…"

"But…you said he was dead." Henry whispered.

"Henry, just hear me out, okay?" Emma tried to reach for him, but he took a step away from her and shook his head.

"You lied to me!" He hollered with tears in his eyes.

"Henry." Hook called from behind him. When Henry turned to look at him, Hook gave him a small nod. "Listen."

"Henry." Emma sighed. "I…what I did was wrong, I know that." She kneeled down in front of him and took him firmly by the shoulders. "I was in jail…for a long time. When you were born, I couldn't keep you. But I love you, Henry. There is nothing that would ever change that."

"But I could have known all about him, whether he was here or not." Henry whispered.

"I know." Emma pulled him close and hugged him tight. "I'm so sorry."

"I think…I need to stay with grandma for a while." Henry pulled away from her.

"Right." She nodded, walking him to the room to pack some of his things.

"Quite a disruption you've caused, Bea." Hook turned to Neal. "Good on you for coming between a mother and son."

"He's my son too." Neal sneered.

"Yes, and while Emma was in jail and had to give up _your _son, you were where again?"


	10. Not Okay

"Grandma…how do you get past someone lying to you?" Henry asked Snow as she sat next to him on the couch.

"It takes a strong person to do it, Henry." Snow gave him a slight smile. "I understand that you're angry with Emma…but, just like your grandfather and I, she did what she had to in order to protect you. You understand that, don't you?"

Henry nodded and stared into his cup of milk, suddenly blurting out, "My dad punched Captain Hook and they got into a fight."

From the kitchen they heard David snort, clearly amused that he wasn't the only one who couldn't stand Hook.

"David!" Snow snapped at him. "Why would Neal punch Hook, Henry?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Guess it had something to do with mom. She was pretty upset about it."

"Did she arrest them too?" David asked, making his way to the couch, catching his wife's glare in the process.

"Quit being such a baby about that."

"Well, she had no problem arresting _me_ when I punched Hook!"

"You did it in plain view of everyone, David, she _had _to."

David huffed as he leaned back in his seat, grumbling to himself.

Snow shook her head and turned back to Henry. "So, what did she about it?"

"Well, she stopped it, but made my dad leave so she could bring me here. She didn't want to leave them alone."

* * *

"Why is it that I'm always cleaning blood off of you?" Emma wiped away the blood on Hook's lip.

"Because you love me?" He gave her a lazy grin, one that made her roll her eyes.

"This isn't funny. Henry's father, Gold's son, is in town and you two have some sort of…unresolved issues. If it's not one thing, it's another."

Hook sighed and pulled her close. "Emma, I understand that Neal is of importance to Henry. But having him around makes you uneasy and I don't like it."

"You know he thinks we're together, right?" She glared at him.

"Yes, I'm…well aware of that."

"I have to explain this whole situation to him."

"Why does he even need an explanation? He's been gone for 11 years, he deserves no knowledge of you or your life."

"I know. But if I'm gonna make things right with Henry, I have to make things right with Neal first. I'm meeting him in about ten minutes." She pulled away from him.

"I want to go."

Emma laughed. "Killian, you can't even move."

"I just got into a fight, I think I'll be fine." Hook groaned as he stood from the couch.

"Fine." She agreed; at least she'd feel less uncomfortable with him there. "You know I don't need you to fight my battles though, right?"

Hook stuffed his hand in his pocket, taking in a deep breath as they walked to Granny's diner. "I don't need to…but I want to."

Neal was sitting at a booth, staring into his hands, and looked up as he heard the bell ring. His smile faded as he realized Emma wasn't alone.

"Why is he here?" He asked her, nodding at Hook.

"Because I happen to dislike that you make my wife uncomfortable." Hook shot back without missing a beat.

"Wife?"

"Hook!" Emma hissed, taking a seat across from Neal. "We're not married."

"But you are together?" Neal glared at Hook, who smirked in response.

"No."

"Clearly I'm not welcome at this moment." Hook interjected. "So, I'll be off getting Henry then."

"Wait a minute." Neal began. "I don't find it appropriate that you're spending time with my son."

"Up until this morning, you didn't even know he existed." Hook retorted, making his way to the door.

Emma sighed heavily as she put a hand to her head. "Look, Neal, it's great that you're here and looking after your dad, but you have to leave."

"Why? Why can't I spend time with Henry, Emma? What's the harm in that? I'm his father and we didn't even know the other existed until today. I deserve to know him."

"I agree." She nodded, but sat straight as she began to tell the second biggest lie in her life. "But Hook's been Henry's father figure ever since he's been in town and I don't think it's right for you to intrude on their time. You saw how close they are and I won't let you break them apart."

"Are you serious?" He gaped at her. " 'Their time'? Hook doesn't even know what a father is, Emma. His idea of being a father is sailing the seas of Neverland and getting into ferocious battles with creatures you nor I could ever handle."

"I'm done with this conversation." She got up to leave.

"Emma, wait." Neal grabbed her hand gently. "I just…want to spend at least an hour with Henry. Just one…before I have to go."

Emma glanced at his grip on her wrist then back at his face. "I…I guess."

Neal smiled at her, getting out of the booth and giving her a kiss on the forehead before leaving the diner.

She closed her eyes and felt the tears begin to well up; she could lie to herself all she wanted…but she knew she still loved Neal, just as Hook still loved Milah. Sure, her and Hook were growing close, but there was no denying what she still felt for Neal, especially since they had a child together.

"Emma?" Ruby's concerned voice broke through to her. "Are you okay?"

"No." She gasped, clutching at her chest and sitting back down. "I'm not."

* * *

"I'm sorry, you're at my door because…?" David glared at Hook, who smiled in return.

"I'm here to pick up the lad, seeing as it seems he's in much need of some time away from you two."

David glared at him and yelled over his shoulder. "Henry! Visitor."

"Hi, Captain Hook." Henry came to the door. "What are you doing here? Did my mom send you?"

"No, she's busy. I was simply wondering if you'd like some fresh air."

"Sure!" Henry turned away from the door and ran to the couch to pick up his jacket.

Hook gave David a triumphant smile as he walked away with Henry.

"Henry, be careful!" David warned.

"Okay, grandpa!" Henry yelled back. "So, what's my mom busy with?"

"She's…talking to your father."

"Oh, about what?"

"I'm not sure."

"You didn't stay with them?"

"I wasn't welcome. Your father seems to believe I'm a destroyer of lives."

"Doesn't seem like it to me." Henry shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I don't really know my dad or you, so I can't choose a side."

"Wise." Hook chuckled, leading Henry to the park. "Listen, Henry, I'm not going to tell you to forgive your mother."

Henry sat at a bench with Hook. "Then what are you going to tell me?"

"I'm going to tell what I see when I look at her. Do you want to know?"

Henry nodded his head.

"I see…someone who's been broken; a woman who grew up with a thousand questions. Every night she asked herself, 'Why am I not good enough?'. Then she finds something worth living for and it backfires on her completely. I see a woman who's been scorned her entire life and finally found the answers she's been looking for…only to have her past come up and pull her away from her happiness."

"I love my mom." Henry blurted out. "I know she's been hurt. I understand why she lied to me…but he's still my dad and I thought he was dead."

"Sometimes people are better off dead than alive, Henry. Can you imagine what life would have been like if Neal hadn't run away from your mother? Can you imagine where'd you be right now if Emma never knew her parents? Are you sure you'd even exist?"

Henry looked at the ground and searched for an answer, any answer that would prove Hook wrong. But he couldn't.

* * *

**I so hope Once Upon A Time comes back for a third season! (x**


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